Kadia Mizrahi and Leon Mashiach were executed after being sentenced to death by drumhead court martials organized by the Irgun | Their death sentences on the alleged charge of treason were delivered by a self-sanctioned, non-transparent body, lacking any oversight | Delving into the details of the cases reveals a violent and controversial procedure in which military organizations permitted themselves to execute people without conclusive evidence | A look back at a darker side of the pre-state era
Lawrence of Arabia or Lawrence of Zion?
The story of the archaeologist turned British intelligence officer: Is it possible that this iconic pro-Arab figure eventually became a Zionist? And what organization was likely responsible for his change of heart?
The Ugly Duckling Is Set Free
The story of how a fighter in the Palmach, a Jewish underground organization from the pre-state era, managed to translate a popular children’s classic while incarcerated in Jerusalem’s central prison…
Banishing the Nazi Darkness: Who Are the Father and Daughter in This 1941 Hanukkah Photo?
Europe was cloaked in darkness during Hanukkah of 1941. With war raging on all fronts, the Jews of British Mandate Palestine did their part in the fight against the Nazis. A picture postcard featuring a Jewish soldier in the British Army and his daughter was meant to warm the hearts of Jewish soldiers serving around the world. But one question remains – who are they?
Mapping 50 Years of Zionist Pioneering
The desert was pushed back, the swamps were dried up and water reached every corner of the land – this historic map celebrated 50 years of the Zionist enterprise…
Celebrating English Royalty at Synagogue
Though England’s royal coronations are traditionally held at Westminster Abbey, over the years the Jews of the British Empire have celebrated the ascensions of new monarchs in their synagogues, with special prayers tailored for the occasion…
Donating Pocket Money for Jewish Refugees in Cyprus
In 1947, Britain was still holding tens of thousands of Jewish immigrants in camps in Cyprus, many of them Holocaust survivors. The children of the Yishuv joined in the aid effort, donating their pocket money and clothing so that the displaced children could stay warm in the cold winter months.
When Tintin Was Abducted by the Irgun in Haifa
Why was Mandatory Palestine changed to the imaginary “Emirate of Khemed” in “Land of Black Gold”, the 15th volume in the comic series, “The Adventures of Tintin”?
How France Nearly Snatched Half of Jerusalem From Britain Over Lunch
If not for a crucial lunchtime intervention by General Edmund Allenby, who apparently had his mouth full, half of Jerusalem could have come under French control. In fact, had Allenby remained silent, there might never have been a British Mandate in Palestine, not to mention a State of Israel…
When Nazi Swastikas Were Paraded in Downtown Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv’s Purim parades between 1933 and 1935 evolved from joyous celebrations into full-on protests against Nazi Germany